


Sleepless Nights

by evelinaonline



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Family Bonding, Gen, Ninjago Secret Santa 2019, Season 3, season 4, takes place... somewhere in-between
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21952543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelinaonline/pseuds/evelinaonline
Summary: After the Overlord's defeat, Lloyd is having a hard time coping with his friend's death. It's a good thing his father is there to help him.
Relationships: Lloyd Garmadon & Lord Garmadon, Lloyd Garmadon & Ultra Dragon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Sleepless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for [ninjacinnabuns](https://ninjacinnabuns.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. I was your Secret Santa! Thanks again to [coco-jaguar](https://coco-jaguar.tumblr.com/) for hosting this event for another year.

Sometimes, Lloyd would lie on his bed and think of all the things that could go wrong.

Then he'd remember they did, when Zane died.

He desperately tried to close his eyes, to focus on something else, anything else, but he couldn't. Everything reminded him of Zane, of all of his family, the family he wanted to forget for once—

The sound of the floor creaking cut him off his thoughts.

There was something comforting about the floorboards creaking in his father's Monastery. Lloyd couldn't quite put it into words, but the sound brought him a sense of coziness that he hadn't felt in a long time. Not since the Overlord's defeat. Not since Zane—

The door to his room opened, and Lloyd shut his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. He could feel his father's gaze on him, but he didn't budge.

"Your silence speaks volumes, son."

Lloyd opened one of his eyes and stared back at his dad. "How did you know I was awake?"

The old sensei chuckled. "Next time you pretend to be asleep, try breathing a little bit."

Lloyd sighed, and sat up on his bed. He took his pillow in his lap and started fidgeting with its corner, avoiding his dad's gaze.

"There's something bothering you," he observed.

Lloyd didn't respond.

"You know," he took a seat next to him. "When I was your age, years after I had been bitten by the Great Devourer, I had a lot of trouble keeping my feelings in check."

Lloyd stopped playing with the pillow case. "What does this have to do with—"

"But there were things that helped," his father interrupted. "One day, a kitten appeared in the Monastery. Your uncle and I had no idea where it came from, but Father allowed us to take care of it, and we did."

"I still don't—"

"It stuck around. Visited every morning, waiting for a bowl of milk. It became part of our family. In the end, it was as if it was taking care of us." He paused for a second, supposedly recalling a distant memory. "When I lost control, it was like it knew, because minutes later it'd appear, on my lap, asking to be pet. And as unlikely as it sounds, it helped."

"So you had a pet," Lloyd said. "What about it?"

"No," his father said and shook his head kindly. "No, I had a friend."

Lloyd felt his heart tighten: it was at that moment he realised he didn't actually have any friends left. Kai had gotten into wrestling, Jay had his own show, Cole was working in the woods, Nya was off to who-knows-where… And none of them were speaking to each other, and they weren't ever going to speak to each other, because their brother was gone, Zane was gone, gone forever, _never to come back—_

"You have more people in your family than you're aware of, son."

And then it hit him.

Lloyd stood up, slipping on his slippers, and rushing out the Monastery after grabbing a jacket on his way out. Just a few steps away, his four-headed friend was lying on the ground, enjoying the peace and quiet of the night.

"Hey, buddy," Lloyd said, reaching out for one of its heads.

The Ultra Dragon let go of a satisfied rumbling sound.

Lloyd chuckled. "Big day for you too, huh?"

From inside the house, Garmadon couldn't help but smile as he watched his son snuggle closer to his dragon companion.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays everyone!!
> 
> If you liked this, make sure to [hmu on tumblr (evelinaonline)](https://evelinaonline.tumblr.com/), where I'm more active! I'm mostly into The Umbrella Academy at the moment, but I love my lego ninja to death.
> 
> Merry Christmas y'all!


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